Space: Soft Landing on Hard Ground

The unmanned Gemini capsule that descended on
the desolate scrub outside Fort Hood, Texas, had not even come close to
orbit. It had simply been car ried aloft by an Air Force C-119 trans
port and cut loose at the relatively low altitude of 11,000 ft. But the
prosaic flight was an effort to answer important questions' Can
capsules such as Gemini be brought down to soft landings on hard
ground, and can future astronauts be given any control over the point
of impact? To both questions the answer was an impressive yes.